Radioactive Isotopes in Industry Posted on September 7, 2018September 7, 2018 Americum-241 Used in many ionizing type smoke detectors Used to measure levels of toxic lead in dried paint samples Used to ensure uniform thickness in rolling processes, such as steel and paper production Used to help determine where oil wells should be drilled Used as portable Gamma Ray source Cadmium-109 Used to analyze metal alloys Used in nicad (nickle and cadmium) for battery production Used in pigments, coatings and plating, manufacture of plastic products, and alloys Calcium-47 Important aid to biomedical researchers studying the cellular functions of bone formation in mammals, bone metabolism problems or to diagnose calcium disorders Californium-252 Used to inspect airline luggage for hidden explosives Used to gauge moisture content of soil in the road construction and building industries Used to measure the moisture of materials stored in soils Used as a neutron source to identify gold and silver ores through a technique known as neutron activation Carbon-14 Used in research to ensure that drugs are metabolized without forming harmful by-products Used in biological research, agriculture, pollution control, and archeology Used breath tests to detect the ulcer-causing bacteria Cesium-137 Used in the treatment of cancerous tumors Used to measure patient dosages of radioactive pharmaceuticals Used in industrial gauges to measure and control the liquid flow in oil pipelines Used to ensure the correct fill level for packages of food, drugs, and other products Used to measure the thickness of materials, such as paper, photographic film, or sheets of metal Used for calibration of radiation-detection equipment Chromium-51 Used in research in red blood cell survival studies Used as a tracer in studies on blood Used to study the flow of blood into and out of a fetus Cobalt-57 Used as a tracer to diagnose pernicious anemia Used to manufacture standards and sources for calibration of radiometric equipment and medical gamma-cameras Cobalt-60 Produced in Nuclear Power Plants Used as a tracer for cobalt in chemical reactions Used in Cobalt Therapy Used to sterilize equipment Used as a source in industrial radiography Used in insect sterilization Used as a source for food and blood irradiation Used to sterilize surgical instruments Used to improve the safety and reliability of industrial fuel oil burners Used in cancer treatment, food irradiation, thickness gauges, and radiography Copper-67 Used with monoclonal antibodies into a cancer patient to help antibodies bind to and destroy tumors Used to prepare radio-pharmaceuticals designed to treat cancer Curium-244 Used primarily for basic scientific research Used in mining to analyze material excavated from drilling operations Used as power sources for space and medical practices Gallium-67 Used to assist in the diagnosis of certain types of cancer Iodine-123 Used in the diagnosis of thyroid disorders and other metabolic disorders Iodine-125 Used in the diagnosis of thyroid disorders Used in biomedical research UNEDITED (copied) Iodine-129 Used in in-vitro diagnostic testing laboratories Used in the monitoring and effects of man-made nuclear fission decay products Iodine-131 Used to treat thyroid disorders Iridium-192 Used to test weld integrity in boilers, pipes, and aircraft parts Used in brachytherapy Iron-55 Used to analyze electroplating solutions Used to detect the presence of Sulphur in the air Krypton-85 Used in arc discharge lamps and indicator lights in appliances Used to gauge the thickness of thin plastics, coatings, sheet metal, rubber, textiles and paper Used to measure dust and pollutant levels Used to test for leaks in semiconductors Used in cold-cathode voltage regulator electron tubes Used to neutralize electrostatically charged aerosols from nebulization, combustion, or powder dispersion Nickel-63 Used to detect explosive devices Used in voltage regulators and surge protectors Used in electron capture for gas chromatography Phosphorus-32 Used in molecular biology and genetics research Used to treat cancer or related problems Phosphorus-33 Used in molecular biology and genetics research Used in DNA sequencing Used to label nucleotides Plutonium-238 Used to power NASA spacecraft Used as heat source in fuel fabrication Polonium-210 Made in a nuclear reactor Used to reduce static charge in photographic film Used as a poison Promethium-147 Used in portable X-ray devices Used in electric blanket thermostats Used to gauge thickness of coatings, thin plastics, thin sheet metal, rubber, textile and paper Used in nuclear batteries Radium-226 Used with beryllium as a neutron source Used to make lighting rods more effective Used to produce radon for cancer treatment Selenium-75 Used in protein studies in life science research Used in non-destructive testing of thinner-walled steel surfaces Sodium-24 Used to locate leaks in industrial pipelines, and in oil well studies Used in medicine, physical sciences and engineering to trace the flow of either sodium or other liquids by using radiation detectors Strontium-85 Used to study bone formation and metabolism Used as a cancer therapeutic to alleviate bone pain Sulphur-35 Used in survey meters by schools, the military and emergency management Used in cigarette manufacturing sensors and medical treatment Used in research application as a tracer Technetium-99m Used in genetics and molecular biology research Used in radioactive pharmaceutical for diagnostic studies in nuclear medicine Thallium-201 Used in nuclear medicine from nuclear cardiology and tumor detection. Thallium-204 Used in the measure of dust and pollutant levels in manufactures Thorium-229 Used to lengthen the life of fluorescent lights Throium-230 Used in coloring for colored glazes and glassware Tritium Used in biomedical research Used in life science and drug metabolism studies Used in self-luminous aircraft, commercial exit signs, for luminous dials, gauges, wrist watches, luminous paint Used for geological prospecting and hydrology. Uranium-234 Used in dental fixtures to provide a natural color Used to convert to plutonium-239 for use as a fuel in nuclear reactors Uranium-235 Used for nuclear power plants and naval nuclear propulsion systems Used to produce fluorescent glassware, colored glazes, and wall tiles Xenon-133 Used in nuclear medicine for lung ventilation and blood flow studies Used to find and treat certain diseases
